Transit passes and student fares
Transit passesSort it before term startsIn Milan one card covers the metro, the buses and the trams. There is a separate annual price for the under-27s, and the ISEE can bring it down further. It works out at less than half what single tickets cost.
Step by step
- 1
Create an ATM account
Sign up at atm.it or in the ATM Milano app, upload your photo and your details, and request a personal electronic card (tessera elettronica).
- 2
Pick the right pass
Under 27, take the “Under 27” annual pass. If you have an ISEE and it comes out low, there are further reduced bands. For a short stay a monthly pass or a 10-ride carnet is more flexible.
The annual pass can be spread over 10 instalments — you do not have to pay it all at once.
- 3
Activate it
When the card arrives, activate it at a gate or in the app. Tap in and tap out — in the Milan metro you tap on the way out too.
- 4
Regional trains are separate
Trenord regional trains to the towns nearby need their own ticket, and a paper ticket has to be validated — convalidare — before you board. Trenitalia’s Carta Verde discounts national services for the under-26s.
Where people get stuck
- !Fares are adjusted every year — check this year’s figure on the ATM site before you buy.
- !Travelling without validating starts at over €50 if you are checked, and you have to show ID on the spot.
- !The “Under 27” age is taken on the day you buy. If your birthday is close, buying early buys you another year of it.
- !The ISEE discount requires residenza in the city. Without it you pay the standard fare.